14 DAY TRIAL // Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's personal physician, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter just days ago, but he's this close to becoming a celebrity thanks to NBC. The network plans to air a documentary shot right after the singer's death in 2009.
The other day, word got out that Murray had cameras follow him around shortly after Michael's death, with the purpose of making a documentary of how he dealt with preparations for the trial, where the jury eventually found him guilty.
NCB has picked up said documentary, called “Michael Jackson and The Doctor: A Fatal Friendship,” and plans to air it this weekend on MSNBC.
The Michael Jackson Estate is furious that a major network would air a project made by a convicted felon, meant to exploit whatever relationship he had with the man he killed.
“Like so many of Michael’s fans, the Estate is also disgusted by MSNBC’s irresponsible and inexplicable decision to air a Conrad Murray 'documentary',” the Estate says in a statement obtained by TMZ.
“The Co-Executors, John Branca and John McClain, are sending a letter to the top executives at Comcast, NBC Universal and MSNBC to express their disdain for their actions,” adds the same statement.
Indeed, the Estate has also fired off a blistering letter to the network, accusing it of offering a platform to a criminal and, in the process, making him a celebrity.
“Dr. Murray, who refused to tell his story under penalty of perjury in a court of law, apparently has no qualms about smearing the reputation of his 'friend',” the letter says, arguing that Murray doesn't have the right to call himself Michael's friends.
In response to reports that Murray was paid only $1 to make the documentary, the Estate points out that money is not even the issue, when the real purpose of the film is to shift blame from the doctor to Michael after a jury has found the former guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
“It doesn't matter to us if it was a production company, Comcast, NBC Universal or MSNBC that paid for 'access' to Dr. Murray because all are morally culpable,” the Estate says.
“It is equally irrelevant whether any or all interviews took place before the jury convicted him. These are moral loopholes aimed at excusing a reprehensible program stemming from Michael Jackson's tragic death that not only will be aired, but which is being heavily promoted on The Today Show in order to boost ratings at a struggling cable network,” the letter further says.
For the time being, NBC hasn't responded to this.